Hockey players to get monthly allowance from TOPS

Agency
NEW DELHI: The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Sinistry today approved a monthly allowance of Rs 50,000 for each of the 18 members of the men’s hockey team under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
The monthly allowance under TOPS has been started by the ministry last year but the hockey team is getting the pocket allowance for the first time. The decision to include hockey was taken after India’s performance improved under new coach Harendra Singh as they finished runners up in the Champions Trophy in the Netherlands.
The women’s team could be included in the TOPS after reviewing its performance in the upcoming World Cup and the following Asian Games.
Among the other notable decisions taken, double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar has been sanctioned Rs 6.62 lakh for hiring two sparring partners and a physiotherapist during his ongoing training stint in Georgia. Another Rs 3.22 lakh has been sanctioned for Bajrang Punia and Sumit for their training and tournament participation in Turkey.
Boxer Sarajubala Devi got an extension under TOPS scheme after qualifying for the Asian Games.
Among the other sports, gymnastics received a total grant of Rs 21.76 lakh. It includes Rs. 7.76 lakh sanctioned for the month-long training program of Pranati Nayak’s training in Uzbekistan. Another Rs 14 lakh (approximate) has been sanctioned for the 32-day program including a training camp in Belgium for Ashish Kumar and Aruna Budda Reddy.